Hermeneutics & Biblical Theology

The revelation of Christ in the Bible begins like an acorn that sends out its shoot and progresses toward the "fullness of time" when it grows into a full and stately oak.

Hermeneutics, or the theory of textual interpretation, is one of the hot topics in New Testament studies today. Many are puzzled over the whole matter, for it is finally recognized that one's hermeneutical approach has a significant effect upon the results of one's interpretive conclusions. A generation ago, Cornelius van Til explained this repeatedly: there are no "brute facts," he said. Facts are mute and are always interpreted in conformity with one's presuppositions, whether those presuppositions are explicitly understood, or not. The inaugural task of a Christian theologian is to conform one's presuppositions, including one's hermeneutics, to the Bible.

If you have a current subscription or current on-line account please log-in here to read the rest of this article.1 [ Back ] G. Vos, "The Idea of Biblical Theology As a Science and As a Theological Disciple," Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation (R. Gaffin, ed.; Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 1980), p. 15.

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